Bioshock: Infinite is one of the most anticipated games currently scheduled for release. Building on the massive critical and commercial success of the original title, the next installment by Irrational is set to have a similar impact on gamers around the world as they are welcomed to the world of Columbia. Only not this year.

Although Bioshock: Infinite was scheduled for an October 2012 release, Ken Levine has today released a letter stating that the title has been delayed, until February 26th next year to be exact. In addition to this delay, Levine also tells us that no demo of the title will be present at either E3 or Gamescom. Explaining his reasoning, Levine has assured fans that the delay is purely to put some finishing touches on what should prove to be an amazing game.

In the letter he said: “I won’t kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter. We had a similar experience with the original BioShock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near. Why? Because the Big Daddies weren’t the Big Daddies you’ve since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan’s golf club didn’t have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco. The same principle now applies to BioShock Infinite.”

All this sounds fair enough, but his words will still sting coming to the Holidays when we have one less triple AAA title to get stuck into. Oh well, I guess that we will have to console ourselves with Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, Assassins Creed 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Resident Evil 6. Shame really.